Cleopatra VII

Cleopatra VII is better known as Cleopatra.

She was the daughter of Ptolemy XII and was his favourite daughter.

Cleopatra is known as the last Pharaoh of Egypt.

She was a mighty female Queen on her own and with her co-rulers.

Young Cleopatra

Cleopatra was born into a royal family that had ruled Egypt for about 300 years.

She was a very smart princess, and she learned a lot about how to rule Egypt from her dad.

Cleopatra’s family were Greek and not Egyptian, but they had ruled Egypt since Alexander the Great.

Cleopatra could speak and read in Greek, Latin and Egyptian.

Queen Cleopatra

Cleopatra’s dad died when she was 18 years old.  He wanted her to rule the country with her younger brother.

Her younger brother Ptolemy XIII was only 10 years old, so Cleopatra took control from him.

When her young brother grew up, he did not like how much Cleopatra was in charge, so he took over as the chief Pharaoh.

When Julius Caesar went to Egypt in about 48 BC, Cleopatra met him and asked him for help.

Caesar agreed that he would help her to win back the throne of Egypt.

Caesar fought with Ptolemy’s army and won.  Ptolemy drowned in the River Nile when he was trying to get away from Caesar and his army.

Cleopatra was now in charge of Egypt again.

She ruled the country with another younger brother, Ptolemy XIV.  When he died, she ruled Egypt with her son Caesarion.

Cleopatra in love

When Cleopatra and Julius Caesar met, they fell in love.

Cleopatra wanted to Egypt to be powerful and strong without any help from Rome.

During her time as Pharaoh, she helped Egypt to trade with other countries and helped to make Egypt very rich.

When Julius Caesar was killed, Cleopatra went back to Egypt.

Around 41 BC, Cleopatra met a man called Marc Anthony.

Cleopatra and Marc Anthony fell in love, and he wanted to help her to make her son Caesarion the ruler of Rome.

This meant that they had to join their armies together to fight Rome.  Cleopatra and Marc Anthony lost their battle against Rome, and she went back to Egypt.

The Death of Cleopatra

The death of Cleopatra was caused by fake news.

Marc Anthony was told that Cleopatra had died and, in his sadness, he killed himself.  When Cleopatra was told that Marc Anthony had died, she was killed by a deadly snake bite.

After the death of Cleopatra, Octavian, the ruler of Rome took control of Egypt.  From this point, Egypt became part of the Roman Empire.

Facts about Cleopatra

• Cleopatra was very smart and could speak up to seven languages
• Cleopatra told people that she a reborn Egyptian goddess called Isis
• Her full name was Cleopatra VII Philopator.
• Cleopatra met Julius Caesar after hiding in a carpet or rug
• People think that Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh of Egypt.  But after her death, her son Caesarion took over.  Caesarion was not a Pharaoh for very long because the Roman ruler, Octavian had him killed.
• When Cleopatra took control of Egypt, she named her younger brother Ptolemy XIV as co-ruler.  Cleopatra was really the main ruler.
• Ptolemy XIV died in a strange way.  After he died, Cleopatra named her son as her co-ruler.  People did think that Cleopatra had killed her younger brother.
• Cleopatra and Marc Anthony got married and had many children.

Questions

• What animal bite Cleopatra?
  A snake
• Cleopatra and Julius Caesar had a son called Julius.  True or false?
  False, he was called Caesarion.
• Who did Cleopatra marry?
  Marc Anthony
• Who did Cleopatra ask to help defeat her brother?
  Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh.  True or false?
  False, her son Caesarion the last Pharaoh

• Back to – Ancient Egypt